The present invention is directed toward a shipping pallet and, more particularly, to a shipping pallet which includes extendible and retractable rails thereby making the same suitable for use in ships and trucks and in cargo planes and which can be compactly stacked on top of an adjacent pallet when not in use.
In order to transport a plurality of packaged goods it is common to first place the goods on top of an article supporting platform or pallet which includes a substantially planar support surface. Such pallets are required to comply with I.S.O. standards promulgated by the International Standards Organization. U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,000 shows an example of that kind of pallet. Once the pallet is loaded, it is pushed or pulled into a shipping container to be carried by a truck, ship, train or plane. Such pallets are typically rather large and are adapted to support loads of several tons. Accordingly, specialized loading vehicles, e.g. PLS (pallet load and unload system) trucks, are utilized to either push or pull the loaded pallet into the cargo area of the shipping vehicle or container.
Conventional article supporting platforms often include a pair of opposing end walls. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,099,640, 4,162,737, 4,355,732, 4,638,744, 4,911,318, 4,964,349, 5,275,301, 5,398,832, 5,494,182 disclose examples of such platforms. Others, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,585 utilize an A-shaped handle at one end for moving and manipulating the pallet. The handle can be folded downwardly onto the top of the pallet when the same is not in use and fits between the support rails of a similarly constructed pallet stacked above. The stacking of the platforms is important for the convenient storage and transportation of the same. U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,585 also discloses a system wherein the handle of the lowermost pallet in a stack of pallets can be used to move the entire stack.
Substantially all pallets of the class referred to include supports on the underside thereof in the form of elongated rails that are capable of supporting the pallet and the cargo carried thereby. Most commonly, there are two rails that run the length of the pallet with one on either side of the centerline of the same. The rails typically extend below the bottom of the lower surface of the pallet. There are times, however, when it would be desirable to eliminate the rails so that the platform or pallet could rest directly on the surface of the vehicle carrying the same. This may be the case, for example, on an airplane that included hold down means that operate best if the pallet were resting directly on the floor.
Thus, pallets that are useful for transporting goods on ships or in trucks have less utility on cargo planes. This requires that shipping companies own and use two different types of pallets, i.e. pallets with rails and pallets without rails. No prior art pallet is know to exist that is transformable between a railed pallet and a pallet that functions as if it had no rails.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of this invention to provide a pallet which can be easily converted between a railed pallet and a pallet without rails.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pallet which can easily be transported by a ship or truck or on a cargo plane.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a pallet which complies with the I.S.O. standards set forth by the International Standards Organization but which can be easily converted between a railed pallet and a railless pallet.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a pallet which can easily be transported by a ship or truck or on a cargo plane and which can also be stacked and transported when empty.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments, demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a shipping pallet which comprises a rectangular planar base member having two opposing ends and two opposing sides. Pivotally connected to one of the ends of the base member is a handle member that is adapted to be pivoted from a stored position, wherein the handle member is folded on top of the base member, to an operative position, wherein the handle member extends upwardly from the base member. The under surface of the base member includes a pair of elongated spaced apart pockets that extend the length of the base member on either side of the center line thereof. An elongated rail is associated with each of the pockets. Hydraulic rams or other power devices move the rails between a first position wherein they are within the pockets so that the planar base member of the pallet rests directly on a support surface and a second position where the rails extend downwardly to support the pallet thereon. The pallets and handle members are so configured and dimensioned so that the handle fits between the elongated rails of the pallet positioned directly above or within a recess of that pallet so as not to interfere with the ability to stack a plurality of pallets on top of each other.